Window-washing device.



PATENTED AUG. 27, 1907.

W. G. HIMROD. WINDOW WASHING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 26, 1906.

BET 1.

2 SHEETS SH INVENTO/v WIuIAMG/IIMRQQ A TTOHN E Y8 No. 864,741. 1 PATENTED AUG. 27, 1907.

W. G. HIMROD. WINDOW WASHING DEVICE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED SEPT. 25, 1906.

mmvron WILL/AN 6-. Huvnao ATTORNEYS 6 WITNESSES means of a lazy tongs. My invention employs the old UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G.-HIMROD, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONF-ll'Alil" TO HARRY F. SEAMARK, OF WASHINGTON, l) [STRICT OF COLUMBIA;

WINDOW-WASHING- DEVICE To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. HIMuoo, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Washington city, in

the District of'Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Window-Washing(Devices, of which the following is a specification. I

There has long been need for some simple and practical device for washing the outside surfaces ofwindows. This need has greatly increased in late years with the increased height of modern buildings which are nearly all windows. The inaccessible exterior surfaces of such windows makes the work of cleaning them especially inconvenient and hazardous, so that trained experts are now commonly employed in cities for this service at an expense, in some cases, for the building owner or renter of several thousand dollars per annum.

My invention; is designed to provide a simple and practical device for washing the exterior of windows without exposing the workman to danger, or even the discomfort of the outside air, the device being worked from the inside of the window and without opening thewindow except fora small space at the bottoni.

My invention is an improvement upon that form of window cleaner in which the cleaning head is projected up to the desired point and reciprocated by 1 with two rock shafts having crank handles at the lower end, by merely opening and closing which handles the washing device is made to reciprocate over the exterior of the window pane, a fiow of water from a compression apparatus being carried up to the washing device through a small hose and being controlled by a stop cock as hereinafter fully described.

Figure 1 represents inperspective view my device shown applied to a window in the act of washing the exterior of the same. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail taken through the two concentric rock shafts which connect the two handles to the lazy tongs. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section and Fig. 4 a top plan view-of the Washing or scrubbing head and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the water reservoir and compression devices for sending a stream of water up to the scrubbing head.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the views.

Referring to Fig. 1, A and B are two concentric shafts, of which the shaft A istubular, while the shaft l3 passes centrally through the same. To the inner end of the tubular shaft A is rigidly attached at right angles a crank handle a and to the inner end of shaft B is rigidly attached a similar crank-handle b, which handles are designed to be grasped in the hands as shown, and'worked back and forth to and from each 7 Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed iiptember 25, 1906. Serial No. 336,140.

Patented Aug. 27, i907.

other. At the otherends of these two shafts are rig idly attached at right angles the crank arms A B. When made of wood, as shown, these crank arms are conveniently connected to their respective shafts as follows: reference being bad to Fig. 2. The tubular shaft A is provided with a rigid terminal plate a which is screwed or bolted to the wooden crank arm A. A similar plate I) is screwed or bolted to wooden crank arm B and is made with a square hole that fits over the square end of shaft B and is retained by a nut b To the outer ends of crank arms A B are hinged or pivoted at d the lower ends of two crossed levers U (l which are fulcrumed to each other at their center 0. The upper ends of the levers C G are in turn pivoted or hinged at e to the lower ends of theswinging arms or links G G which at their upper ends f areljointcd to each other. This forms whatis commonly/ known as the lazy tongs,'aud when the crank arms A B are osmake it important that the scrubbing head should be made as light as possible and without any separate reservoir supported on the head. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4 it is composed of a bar D with one or more soft rubber strips d let into a groove and retained therein and just below it a metal tube E having a longitudinal slit e along its front edge which tube is provided at the middle with a nipple E which connects with a small flexible hose F that extends down to the bottom of the lazy tongs and connects with a compression reservoir for forcing water up the same as iown in Fig. 5. i p In the tube E is retained a soft absorbent pad E formed by a piece of fabric doubled lengthwise several times on itself and introduced endwise into the tube. For this purpose the tube has a screw cap Wat the end, as seen in Fig. 4, and to insert such pad this cap is first removed and the pad then introduced endwise into tube, its folded and thickened edge being retained in the tube with the free edge extending a short distance through the slit 0 This absorbent pad serves to partially close said slit and secures the distribution of the flow of water along the full length of the scrubbing head.- When the head is made elongated, as shown in Fig. 4, some means are desirable to keep it from turning on its support, and for this a stem G is attached to the back of the part D at right angles thereto and a coil spring G is wrapped around the same and has its two ends 9 9 extended some distance'along the upper arms C G of the lazy tongs, being retained thereto by staples as shown.

It will be understood that as the cleaning head has a central pivotal connection to the top joint of the lazy tongs, said cleaning head if unrestrained is liable to turn in a haphazard way into all sorts of accidental positions, instead of maintaining its true horizontal position. To properly hold this head against turning on its pivot, requires a peculiar yielding brace between the head and the upper member of the lazy tongs so that the connection while bracing and holding the head horizontally will not interfere with the changing angular position of the upper members of the lazy tongs. It will therefore be seen that this yielding brace has a special and correlated value in the relation in which it is used which is.i1nportani to the success and efliciency of my device.

In Fig. 5 is shown the compression apparatus by which the water is forced up through the hose F to the washing head. This may be simply a force pump, but I prefer a tank H adapted to be filled with water through the inlet I and having attached an air pump J by which a body of air may be compressed to form a cushion above the water level whose pressure forces the water through the regulating cock h and hose F to the scrubbing head at the top of the lazy tongs.

By means of my improved window washer the operafor simply raises the window sash to allow the lazy tongs and washing head to be placed outside and with the rock shafts resting upon the window sill the sash is then lowered down to contact with the rock shafts, leaving only a small open space at the bottom of the window while the operator is engaged in washing the same from the interior free from all danger and inclement weather,

Any kind of a cleaning head may be mounted on the top of the lazy-tongs. I To prevent the lazy tongs from closing too far when down, a stop a is connected to one of its members.

"connected to the two shafts and a cleaning head mounted upon the end of the lazy tongs.

3. A window cleaning device, comprising two rock shafts having rigid crank handles at their ends forming a cooperating pair of oscillating handles, lazy tongs having their two members connected respectively to the two rock shafts, a cleaning head mounted on the lazy tongs and a flexible hose leading up to the cleaning head.

4. A window cleaning device comprising a lazy tongs with means for extending them, an elongated cleaning head pivotally mounted on the connecting joint of the two upper members of the lazy tongs, and a yielding brace between the head and the lazy tongs for holding the head horizontal without interfering with the changihg angular position of the members-of the lazy tongs.

WILLIAM G. HIMROD.

Witnesses l lnw. W, Bran, CHAS. R. WRIGHT. 

